As announced by the Japan Belting Manufacturers Association, sales for rubber and resin conveyor belts over January–June saw a decrease in demand for rubber conveyor belts used in their primary space of big steel. Sales to blast furnace manufacturers were down 1 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, sales to companies involved in big steel were down 45 percent, which was the highest...

In a recent interview with Japan Rubber Weekly, Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) President Motonobu Nitta expressed the company’s intent to continue working toward the goals set for the second year of Phase 2 in its mid–long-term business plan, “V2020.” On top of analyzing the company’s sales figures and performance breakdown, he discussed the state of its foreign subsidiaries and explained its...

Production of automobile tires and tire tubes dropped 2.4 percent year-on-year in July, to a total of 91,442 tons, according to the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA). Production volume has fallen year-on-year for 20 straight months, but the number of units produced rose 0.3% year-on-year in July. Year-on-year production fell for all tire types other than industrial vehicle tires....

Sitting down for an interview recently, Nitta Corp. (TYO:5186) President Motonobu Nitta told Japan Rubber Weekly that the company’s sales and profit figures have mostly developed as planned. Nitta furthermore said that forecasts for the full business year remain unchanged for the major belt, hose and tube manufacturer. On general conditions for the first quarter of fiscal 2016, Nitta said...

Nihon System Kaihatsu Co. Ltd. has released Version 4.2 of Mixture Design Support System (MDSS). The software enables the user to centrally manage and share data on raw materials, processes, operations and assessments. This latest version includes a new feature for managing chemical substances (i.e. ingredients), along with a raw materials reminder feature. The program’s database generation capabilities and centralized...

Synthetic rubber and chemicals manufacturer JSR Corp. (TYO:4185) has developed a 3D-printed prosthetic leg in a joint project with All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd. (ANA) and prosthesis manufacturer SHC Design Inc. The company intends to support efforts to commercialize the tool. Current prosthetic legs are typically made from metal and cost a pricey 300,000 to 400,000 yen ($2,953 to $3,937)....